Battle of Liège

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Liège
partof=the Western Front of World War I


caption=" "
date=4 August - 16 August 1914
place=Liège, Belgium
result= German victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=flagicon|Belgium|state Lieutenant General Gérard Leman
commander2=flagicon|German Empire General Otto von Emmich
flagicon|German Empire General Erich Ludendorff
strength1=3rd Division, 15th Mixed Brigade and Fortress Garrisons
Strength - 36.000 troops & 252 guns
strength2=Army of the Meuse
Strength - 59.800 troops & 100 guns
casualties1= at least 413 killed, 55 wounded, 30.000+ captured
casualties2= 20.000

The Battle of Liège was the opening battle of the German invasion into Belgium, and the first battle of World War I. The attack on the city began on August 4 and lasted until the 16 August when the last fort finally surrendered.

The Schlieffen plan

As Imperial Germany feared a long war against France and the Russian Empire, the Schlieffen plan was conceived which suggested a quick strike to beat France first, as was done successfully in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. In order to do this, neutral Belgium had to be attacked and crossed within a few days.

However, there were two problems with this plan. The violation of the neutrality of Belgium would possibly make the United Kingdom enter the war on France's side. Also, the highly fortified city of Liège was in the path of the German forces.

Fortifications

The Belgian city of Liège lies at the confluence of the Meuse and the Ourthe rivers, between the Ardennes Forest to the south and Maastricht of the Netherlands, and the flat plain of Flanders to the north and west. The Meuse flowed through a deep ravine at Liège, posing a significant barrier to the German advance.

It lay on the main rail line leading from Germany to Brussels, and eventually to Paris - the same railway that von Schlieffen and von Moltke had planned to use as transport into France. There were massive industrial facilities, factories, and other facilities that would assist the modern defense of the city.

In addition, a ring of twelve forts, built by the great Belgian military engineer, General Henri Alexis Brialmont, had been completed in an 6-10km radius around the city in 1891. The forts overlapped each other's protective zones of fire, and were designed so that if any one fort were attacked, the two neighboring forts could provide artillery support. They were approximately 4km apart.

The forts were triangular or quadrangular in shape, with a surrounding ditch and barb-wire entanglements. They were made entirely of concrete and armed with 210mm howitzers, 150mm 120mm cannons, and 57mm rapid-fire cannons for approach defense. The fort was defended from attack by infantry with rifles and machine guns. The main guns were mounted in steel turrets that revolved 360 degrees. Only the 57mm turret could be elevated to fire. In total the forts had 78 pieces of artillery. The forts contained magazines for ammunition, crew quarters for up to 500 men, and electric motors for lighting. The forts were not linked together and communicated with each other by above-ground telephone or telegraph wire.

The forts had several weaknesses. The terrain was difficult to completely cover since many ravines ran between the forts. Interval defenses were constructed just before the battle and were inadequate to stop the Germans from infiltrating into the city. The forts were weak in the rear, the direction from which the German bombardments would eventually come. The ventilation and sanitary conditions were very bad, resulting in the lack of air and terrible odors. Finally, the concrete was not the best quality and the forts were built to withstand assault from 210mm guns, the largest mobile guns available in 1890. Lieutenant General Gérard Mathieu Leman had been personally selected to command the 3rd Division and the Liège fortifications, and he was under orders from King Albert I to hold the fortress system to the end. Leman had a force of about 30,000 soldiers to defend the intervals, and about 6,000 fortress troops, including members of the civic guard, to man the defenses.

The battle

To reduce the fortifications of Liège, a special task force of 60,000 troops, the Army of the Meuse, was allocated, consisting of six brigades of infantry and two divisions (the 2nd & 4th) of cavalry. These were placed under the command of General Otto von Emmich, accompanied by the staff officer Erich Ludendorff as an observer. War with Belgium was declared on the morning of 3 August, and the lead elements of "Task Force Emmich" crossed the border at 0800 on the 4th. The cavalry advanced to the Meuse river, but found the bridge crossings had been destroyed. By the late afternoon of 4 August, however, German cavalry forces had crossed the Meuse to the north at Visé and encountered troops of the 12th Brigade, who fought a valiant retreat to the fortress line. German forces were held in check in the north for the night.

The Belgian 3rd Division guarded the town from behind hastily constructed earthworks, and on the same day they successfully repulsed attacks by German infantry passing between the forts. An attack against Fort Barchon was beaten back with heavy losses due to machine-gun and artillery fire. After this failed attack, the Germans performed the first air raid in history by using a Zeppelin to drop bombs on Liège. Meanwhile cavalry moved south from Visé to encircle the town. With the town likely to be invested soon, Leman now ordered the 3rd Division to withdraw from the town and rejoin the mobilizing Belgian army to the west.

Ludendorff now took command of the 14th brigade that was able to infiltrate between the forts. This brigade succeeded in capturing the town on the 7 August. However the outer ring of forts continued to hold out, blocking German advance due to their interdiction of the railroad lines. The forts endured steady bombardment and attack by the German forces, but most of the forts continued to repulse enemy attacks. Only Fort Fleron was put out of action, its cupola-hoisting mechanism being destroyed by shell fire. The only fort to be captured by infantry assault would be Fort Barchon, taken on 10 August.

To reduce these fortifications, the Germans would have to employ their massive siege artillery. These would include the Krupp "Big Bertha" 420mm howitzer and some Austrian 305mm Škoda guns. At the time of the construction of the forts it was assumed that the largest guns that could be moved overland were 21cm howitzers, so they had never been designed to withstand the enormous shells from the bigger guns. The shells from these guns landed on the forts from directly above, penetrating the concrete sides and then detonating inside by means of a delayed fuse. One by one the forts were bombarded into submission, with the last, Fort Boncelles, capitulating on 16 August. On the 15 August Leman was injured at Fort Loncin, and he was carried out unconscious to become a prisoner of the Germans.

Some had suggested the valiant ten-day stand made at Liège served to knock the German timetable off by two days, buying time for the Allies. However, German commanders denied that the siege significantly delayed the schedule of their still-mobilizing army. The ten day siege did, however, serve as a morale boost to Allied forces, and the French President would bestow the cross of the légion d'honneur on the town for their resistance.

Belgian order of battle

The 3rd Belgian Division defended the city of Liège; it was commanded by Lieutenant General Gérard Leman. Within the division, there were four brigades and various other formations:
*9th Mixed Brigade, including the 9th and 29th Infantry Regiments, along with the 43rd, 44th, and 45th Artillery Batteries
*11th Mixed Brigade, including the 11th and 31st Infantry Regiments, along with the 37th, 38th, and 39th Artillery Batteries
*12th Mixed Brigade, including the 12th and 32nd Infantry Regiments, along with the 40th, 41st, and 42nd Artillery Batteries
*14th Mixed Brigade, including the 14th and 34th Infantry Regiments, along with the 46th, 47th, and 48th Artillery Batteries
*15th Mixed Brigade (5 August), including the 1st and 4th Chausseur Regiments, along with the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd Artillery Batteries
*The Fortress Guards, including the 9th, 11th, 12th, and 14th Reserve Infantry Regiments, an Artillery Regiment, four reserve batteries, and various other troops
*3rd Artillery Regiment, including the 40th, 49th, and 51st Artillery Batteries
*3rd Engineer Battalion
*3rd Telegraphist Section
*2nd Regiment of Lancers

Overall, there were about 36,000 troops and 252 artillery pieces to face the German onslaught.

German order of battle

The German attack force consited of:

* 34th Infantry Brigade of the IX Corps,commanded by Major-General Von Krawewll.
* 27th Infantry Brigade of the VII Corps, commanded by Colonel Von Massow.
* 14th Infantry Brigade of the IV Corps, commanded by Major-General Von Wussow.
* 11th Infantry Brigade of the III Corps, commanded by Major-General Von Watcher.
* 38th Infantry Brigade of the X Corps, commanded by Colonel Von Oertzen.
* 43rd Infantry Brigade of the XI Corps, commanded by Major-Genral Von Hulsen.
* II Cavalry Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Von der Marwitz, consisting of the 2nd (Major-General Von Krane), 4th (Lieutenant General Von Garnier) and 9th (Major-General Von Bulow) cavalry divisions.

Overall, there were about 59,800 troops and 100 artillery pieces used in the assault on the fortresses.

Publications

* Paul Hamelius, "The Siege of Liège: A Personal Narrative" (London, 1914)
* J. M. Kennedy, "The Campaign around Liège," in "Daily Chronicle War Books" (London, 1914)

References

* Griess, Thomas E., "The Great War", Avery Publishing, 1986.
* Marshall, S.L.A., "World War I", American Heritage, 1964.
* Reynolds, F. J., "The Story of the Great War", Vol. III, P.F. Collier & Son, New York, 1916.

External links

* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/liege.htm The Battle of Liege, 1914]
* [http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_liege.html Siege of Liege, 5-15 August 1914]
* [http://www.geocities.com/~brialmont/forts.html The Fortresses of Liège]